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User blog:Ugra Murda Kurma/Lord Brahman
In Hinduism, Brahman (/ˈbrɑːmən/; Sanskrit: ब्रह्मन् brahman) is "the unchanging reality amidst and beyond the world",[1] which "cannot be exactly defined".[2] It has been described in Sanskrit as Sat-cit-ānanda (being-consciousness-bliss)[3] and as the highest reality.[4][note 1][note 2] Brahman is conceived as Atman,[note 3] personal,[note 4] impersonal[note 5] or Para Brahman,[note 6] or in various combinations of these qualities depending on thephilosophical school. In Vedic Sanskrit: *''Brahma'' (ब्रह्म) (nominative singular), brahman (ब्रह्मन्) (stem) (neuter[7] gender) means the Great Cosmic Spirit, from root brha *''Brahmānda'' (ब्रह्माण्ड) (nominative singular), from stems brha (to expand) + anda (egg), means universe as an expansion of acosmic egg (Hiranyagarbha), or the macrocosm. Brahmanda Purana discusses cosmogenesis. Bhagavata Purana also discusses cosmogony and fundamental principles of material nature in detail.[8] In later Sanskrit usage: *''Brahma'' (ब्रह्म) (nominative singular), brahman (stem) (neuter[7] gender) means the concept of the transcendent and immanent ultimate reality of the One Godhead or Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hinduism; the concept is central to Hindu philosophy, especially Vedanta; this is discussed below. Also note that the word Brahman in this sense is exceptionally treated as masculine (see the Merrill-Webster Sanskrit Dictionary). It is called "the Brahman" in English. Brahm is another variant of Brahman. *''Brahmā'' (ब्रह्मा) (nominative singlular), Brahman (ब्रह्मन्) (stem) (masculine gender), means the deity or deva Prajāpati Brahmā. He is one of the members of the Hindu trinity and associated with creation, but does not have a cult in present day India. This is because Brahmā, the creator-god, is long-lived but not eternal i.e. Brahmā gets absorbed back into Purusha at the end of an aeon, and is born again at the beginning of a new kalpa. These are distinct from: *A brāhmaņa (ब्राह्मण) (masculine, pronounced [ˈbraːhməɳə]), (which literally means "pertaining to prayer") is a prose commentary on the Vedic mantras—an integral part of the Vedic literature. *A brāhmaņa (ब्राह्मण) (masculine, same pronunciation as above), means priest; in this usage the word is usually rendered in English as "Brahmin". This usage is also found in the Atharva Veda. In neuter plural form, Brahmāņi. See Vedic priest. *''Ishvara, (lit., Supreme Lord), in Advaita, is identified as a partial worldly manifestation (with limited attributes) of the ultimate reality, the attributeless Brahman. In Visishtadvaita and Dvaita, however, Ishvara (the Supreme Controller) has infinite attributes and the source of the impersonal Brahman. *Devas, the expansions of Brahman/God into various forms, each with a certain quality. In the Vedic religion, there were 33 devas, which later became exaggerated to 330 million devas. In fact, devas are themselves regarded as more mundane manifestations of the One and the Supreme Brahman (See Para Brahman). The Sanskrit word for "ten million" also means group, and 330 million devas originally meant 33 types of divine manifestations. '''Brahmā' (/ˈbrɑːmə/; Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा; Brahmā) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in HinduVedānta philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. Brahmā's wife is Saraswati. Saraswati is also known by names such as Sāvitri andGayatri, and has taken different forms throughout history. Brahmā is often identified with Prajapati, a Vedic deity. Being the husband of Saraswati or Vaac Devi (the Goddess of Speech), Brahma is also known as "Vaagish," meaning "Lord of Speech and Sound." Brahma is also referred as Generator energy(Generator(Brahma),Operator(Vishnu) and Devastator(Mahesh) or "GOD"). At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā creates the four Kumāras or theCaturṣaṇa. However, they refused his order to procreate and instead devote themselves, to Vishnu and celibacy. He then proceeds to create from his mind ten sons or Prajāpatis (used in another[which?]sense), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. But since all these sons were born out of his mind rather than body, they are called Mānas Putras or mind-sons or spirits. The Manusmṛti and Bhāgavat Purāṇa enumerate them as:[citation needed] Brahmā had ten sons and one daughter (Named Shatrupa- one who can take hundred forms) born from various parts of his body:[citation needed] #Marichi #Atri #Angirasa #Pulaha #Pulasthya #Krathu #Vashista #Prachethasa #Bhrigu #Narada Within Vedic and Purāṇic scripture Brahmā is described as only occasionally interfering in the affairs of the other devas (gods), and even more rarely in mortal affairs. He did force Chandra to give Tara back to her husband, Bṛhaspati. Among the offspring from his body are Dharma and Adharma, Krodha, Lobha, and others. AttributesEdit AppearanceEdit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brahma_1820.jpgA handcoloured engraving of Brahma. He is clad in red clothes. Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four heads, four faces, and four arms. With each head, He continually recites one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard (especially in North India), indicating the nearly eternal nature of his existence. Unlike most other Hindu gods, Brahmā holds no weapons. One of his hands holds a scepter. Another of his hands holds a book. Brahmā also holds a string of prayer beads called the 'akṣamālā' (literally "garland of eyes"), which He uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He is also shown holding the Vedas. There are many other stories in the Purāṇas about the gradual decrease in Brahmā's importance. Followers of Hinduism believe that Humans cannot afford to lose the blessingsof Brahmā and Sarasvati, without whom the populace would lack creativity, knowledge tosolve mankind's woes. There is a story of a fifth head. This head came when Shatrupa started flying away from him upwards and the head came on top of the four heads - symbolizing lust and ego. the head was decapitated by Shiva returning Brahmā to his four head avatar which gave birth to the Vedas. The fifth head stayed with Shiva hence Shiva got the name Kampala. SymbolsEdit The Four Faces – The four Vedas (Rig, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva). The Four Hands – Brahmā's four arms represent the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north. The back right hand represents mind, the back left hand represents intellect, the front right hand is ego, and the front left hand is self-confidence. The Prayer beads – Symbolize the substances used in the process of creation. The Book – The book symbolizes knowledge. The Gold – Gold symbolizes activity; the golden face of Brahmā indicates that He is actively involved in the process of creating the Universe. The Swan – The swan is the symbol of grace and discernment. Brahmā uses the swan as his vāhana, or his carrier or vehicle. The Crown – Brahmā's crown indicates His supreme authority. The Lotus – The lotus symbolizes nature and the living essence of all things and beings in the Universe. The Beard – Brahmā's black or white beard denotes wisdom and the eternal process of creation. VehicleEdit http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lord_Bramma.jpgBrahma,Meenakshi Amman Temple Tower,Tamil Nadu,Indiahttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cygnus_olor_2_(Marek_Szczepanek).jpgswan Vehicle of Lord Bramma Brahmā's vehicle or vāhana is the hansa, a swan or a goose. Brahma fails to measure the height of Shiva Linga- It is believed that once Lord Shiva stood in the form of a great Linga with deep roots into the womb of the mother earth and with the top far above the skies. Brahma and Vishnu threw each other a challenge that whoever finds the top or bottom of the Linga, will be considered as supreme. Accordingly Brahma took the form of a swan and flew into the sky. Vishnu took the form of a boar and began digging deep into the earth. They spent a lot of time but could not reach the top or bottom of the Linga. However to show that he was superior, Brahma told a lie that he had touched the top of the Linga. A flower called Ketaki stood as a witness to the statement of Lord Brahma. Listening to these words Shiva became very angry and cursed Brahma that he would never be worshiped by any human being. He cursed the false witness, the Ketaki flower also, saying that the flower will not be used in the worship of any God or Goddess or in any holy activity.That is why they say that there are not more than 14 or 15 temples of Brahma, where as there are lakhs of temples for Shiva or Vishnu Reference: hindumythologybynarin.blogspot.com/brahma-kapalam Lord Brahma is reverentially addressed as Pitamaha (father of fathers) by Devas, Demons, and Humans. Since Brahma is also a Prajapati all these people used to visit him . According to the Upanishads the Lord used to teach the Vedas and the importance of virtue to these people. They all used to spend considerable time with Him to acquire knowledge of the Atman. He also taught three important virtues to his three types of students. Once He uttered a single syllable ‘da’ and asked them to grasp its meaning. The Gods interpreted the sound as the word as 'Datta' meaning to give away all pleasure seeking activities. The Humans interpreted the syllable as 'dayadhwam' which means ‘ to show mercy’ by leaving out their greedy and selfish activities. The Demons interpreted the sound as 'Damyata' meaning control or suppression of cruel attitudes and passions. This episode has been beautifully described by the poet T.S.Eliot in his Book 'The Waste Land', Part- V, named- ‘ What the Thunder Said’ Reference: WWW.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/brahma.ap/article by Jayaram.V Lord Brahma the God of Destiny or Fate: Lord Brahma is also called as Vidhi, DhAtA, and VidhAtA. Vidhi means the Ordainer. Vidhata means disposer,ordainer, Arranger,or Law-maker. He is also called as Twasta, Viswadeva. According to the Veda- Yo Vidhata cha Dhata cha- ( Vidhata is also called as Dhata). He is also called as Vedhasa- ( Vidhata Vedhasamapi). Vidhata means the governor of Nature’s Laws relating to the journey of the Soul. Lord Brahma is not only the creator as mentioned in the Purusha Sukta, but also the decider of the destiny or Fate of the beings that are going to be born . Brahma is the God who writes the fortunes of everybody based on the KARMA or deeds in the previous births. Fate, or luck or destiny ordained by Lord Brahma and written by him in a coded language on the forehead of every individual cannot be altered by anybody. Because one has to reap what one has sown. It is believed that Brahma examines the Karma of every being in his previous births and accordingly decides what should be the fate of the individual in the present birth. Brahma’s writings on the forehead can be understood only by great Yogis or Rishis when they look at the forehead of any person. That is why they look at the face of a person carefully before they bless a person with long life, good health, wealth and progeny etc. The Fate in reality is a product of the Karma of one’s previous lives. The unfinished Karma is carried forward to the next birth. Sanchita-Karma into which God Brahma looks carefully, Lord Brahma is the sum-total of the accumulated Karma of previous births. It is in one’s account and needs to be cleared at some stage in one’s spiritual journey. Prarabdha karma is that part of the Sanchita Karma which is posted to the present birth by Lord Brahma and hence it has to be cleared in this birth only. This concept has sometimes led to the philosophy of Fatalism and some scholars began to argue that since everything is pre-ordained why should we run here and there to alter our future. In the Upaishads Lord Brahma is also depicted as the immortal Lord of Heaven who receives the liberated souls at the end of their journey along the Northern path. Reference: WWW.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/brahma.ap. Abraham (/ˈeɪbrəˌhæm, -həm/ (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם‎, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:He-Avraham.ogg listen )), originally'Abram', is the first of the three biblical patriarchs. His story, told in chapters 11 through 25 of the Book of Genesis, plays a prominent role in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.[1] The narrative revolves around the themes of posterity and land rights. Abraham was called by God to leave the house of his father Terah and settle in a land which was already settled by the descendants of Canaan; however, God promised it to Abraham and his progeny. Various candidates were put forward who might inherit the land after him, but all were dismissed except for Isaac, Abraham's son by his half-sister Sarah. Abraham purchased the Cave of the Patriarchs at Hebron to be Sarah's grave when she died, thus establishing his right to that land. In the second generation, Abraham's heir Isaac was married to a woman from his own relatives, thus ruling the Canaanites out of any right to his inheritance. Abraham later married Keturah and had six more sons, but on his death, when he was buried beside Sarah, it was Isaac who received "all Abraham's goods", while the other sons received only "gifts".[2] The Bible's internal chronology places Abraham around 2000 BCE.[3]Despite this, "there is nothing specific in the Genesis stories that can be definitively related to known history in or around Canaan in the early second millennium B.C.E."[4] As a result, "it is now widely agreed that the so-called 'patriarchal/ancestral period' is a later literary construct, not a period in the actual history of the ancient world" (Professor Paula McNutt).[5] The majority of scholars believe that the Pentateuch was composed in the Persian period (roughly 520–320 BCE),[6] as a result of tensions between the Jewish landowners who had stayed in Judah during the Babylonian captivity and claimed Abraham as the "father" through whom they traced their right to the land, and the returning "Priestly" exiles who based their claim to dominance on Moses and the Exodustradition.[7] Category:Blog posts